Ballydugan Mill is an outstanding building which obviously has been lovingly restored. Food was brilliant, staff very helpful and the area is worth a look. I agree that the resturant not being open causes troubles but all in all - very much enjoyed and I look forward to my next stay at teh Mill!

Before I get into why I wouldn't stay here again, let me say that the owner has made a great effort to restore a very large interesting building. And the people there were very, very nice. They always went out of their way to try and make us comfortable.

The building itself is very impressive. The owner has restored a six story grain mill and outlying buildings over the past 20 years. He did a fantastic job. The rooms were very rustic and interesting: stone walls and exposed beams. Furniture modern, but in line with the motif. Modern elevator for reaching those upper floors (thank goodness). Two eateries at the Mill: snack-type things on the ground floor, more sophisticated food upstairs. On a narrow country road only a few miles from Downpatrick city centre. Two car parks: one outside a fenced court yard and one inside the courtyard itself (very secure). Reportedly has five "friendly" ghosts that we didn't see, but we heard a lot about them.

Each room has TV, but strangely, only two channels: Channel Four and UTV. All the other places we stayed at in Northern Ireland had at last five.

Now the bad news. The walls between rooms are very, very thin. Yes the outside walls are so thick a cell phone won't work, but the interior walls seem to be only sheetrock. I could hear every conversation in the next room (until 1:30 am). The ceiling also did a poor job of soundproofing. Normal walking noises and creaking, but the upstairs TV sounded like it was in our room. Very unrestful place.

The worse news was the availability of food. The owner has taken great strides to create a first rate restaurant. However, he has become the prisoner of the chef. The one time the restaurant was open when we were at the hotel, it was very good. The chef was an artiste, but unfortunately with very inflexible hours. If staying in the city center, this wouldn't be a problem, but when at a remote site like the Mill, you have no other alternatives without driving somewhere. It was closed Sunday night and all day Monday. And, when the kitchen was closed, so was the bar. It was dead! Breakfast was good, but again, when the chef wasn't about, the kitchen was closed. So no hot food on Monday morning (his day off). There were other staff there for cold food, but strangely, no one could fry eggs of cook bacon or sausage (even I can do that). Maybe the kitchen was the chef's turf and his alone. The last morning (Tuesday), the chef was back, but not all the supplies were in for a full breakfast.

The last item I didn't like was a surprise in the bill. There was no exchange of paperwork for the reservation, but the website gave a price of 75UKP for two people, which was confirmed by the owner on the phone when the reservation was made. The bill charged 85UKP with no explanation and no one was around to deal with it. The bill was reduced by 10UKP without rationale, but I assumed it was for the cold breakfast on Monday.

So, between the terrible soundproofing, the unavailability for food and drink and the extra 10UKP per night, I wouldn't go back to stay. I would go for a meal, however, when the restaurant is open. Shame about the sound-proofing and the restaurant/bar hours – otherwise a great place.